Means for adjusting printing rollers



March 6,1934.

H. C, OSBORN MEANS FOR ADJUSTING PRINTING ROLLERS Filed Aug. 1, 1931 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Fatented Mar. 6, 1934 I UIT'ED STATES PATENT GFFICE MEANSFOR ADJUSTING PRINTING ROLLERS Henry Chisholm Osborn, Cleveland, Ohio,as-

signor to Multigraph Company, Wilmington,- DeL, a corporation ofDelaware Application August 1, 1931, Serial No. 554,425

17 Claims. (01. 101-218) This invention relates to mechanism for shiftating movement thereon. For this purpose I ing one member in a printingmachine to vary its have shown the knob as rotatably mounted on approachto a cooperating member, and locking the shaft between a collar 30 and awasher 23, it inaset position. The invention is well adapted which issecured to the end of the shaft by a for use with rotary platens, whereit is desired to suitable stud 24. 89 be able to shift the platen rollerto idle position Secured to the shaft between the knob manually, or toreturn it and lock it in its active and frame member 12 is a suitablearm or collar position. 39. Pivotally mounted on this collar or arm isTo the above end, I have provided an eccentric a latch- 31, in. the formof a bell crank pivoted 1o shaft on which the roller is mounted, ahandle to the arm at 32. The inner end of this latch 5 for such shaft,by which it may be readily turned, is adapted to engage a keeper orgroove 18 in the handle having some loose play with reference a disc 40,which is loosely mounted on the shaft to the. shaft, and means wherebythe movement portion 15, and is secured to the frame 12, as will of thehandle, through the loose play region, may be hereinafter described. Thelatch 31 is nor- 15. operate anormally active latch to release the shaftmally pressed toward the disc by a spring 35,

' and enable it to be turned by continued movemounted in the arm 30 andpressing outwardly ment of the handle. My mechanism, therefore, againstthe outer arm 33 of the bell crank. provides a shaft normally positivelylocked, and The outer arm 33 of the latch 31 extends into a manuallyoperable handle, which by a continan annular recess of groove 27 in theknob 20.,

20. uous movement may release the lock and then The latch has its upperand outer surface 34 bevturn the shaft. ihis is more fully hereinafterelled at an acute angle to the tangent of the knob, explained inconnection with the drawings, illusinclining such a direction that thissurface is trating a preferred embodiment thereof. cammed downwardly bya pin 41 carried by the In the drawings, Fig, 1 is a side elevation of aknob, when the latter is turned in the direction :25. printing mechanismprovided with a roller platen to release the roller. and a form roll,both of which are equipped with Normally, the parts stand with theeccentric my handle and lock; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal secintermediateregion of the shaft projecting totion through the roller platen, theplane of the ward the member with which the. roller cooperseotion beingindicated by the lines 2'.2 on Fig. 1 ates (which may be the drum 13),so that the :30 Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the form rolleris active, and the roller is positively locked roll, as indicated by thelines 3.3 on Fig. 1; Fig. e in this position by the latch engaging the.groove is an enlarged sectional detail through the handle 18 in thenormally fixed plate 40, the latch be- ;and lock, the plane of thesection being substaning held therein by the spring 35, the outer end.tially the same as that of Fig. 2-; Fig. 5 is a transof the latchfreely occupying the recess 27 in the 135. verse section through thehandle and lock, as knob; indicated by the lines 5 -5 on Fig. l; Fig. 6is a Now, to unlock the latch and return the roller sectional ,detailsimilar to Fig. i, but illustrating to idle position by a singlemovement of the hand, pertain of the parts in a different position. theoperator merely grasps the knob 20 and turns As shown in the drawings,10 indicates a shaft it in a clockwise direction (viewed facing the g0.mounted in suitable bearings, which may be frame free end of the knob 20as in Figs. 1 and 5). The

plates 1 -1 and 12, of a Multigraph or other rotary first portion ofthismovement has no effect on printing machine, oarryinga form roller ortransthe shaft 10, but operates to cam the latch 31 to fer roller 13.idle position, and as soon as the knobv 20 has efq'lhe journal-ledportions 14 and 15 of the shaft fected this result, the lower face ofthe outermost 45 10 are eccentric to the main body portion 16.. portionof the latch arm engages the hub 43 of The platen or other roller 1'7 ismounted on the the knob and as the distance between such hub eccentricportion of this shaft, and hence, while and pin 41 is less than themaximum height of always rotatable, has a variable position as to thelatch, the, continuation of the movement ro-. its axis according to theposition of the shaft. tates the shaft 10, together with the arm 3.0car..

50 Mounted on the end of the shaft 10 is a handle rying the latch, andthus by reason of the reced-. inth e form Of a kn preferably having aing eccentricity ofthe shaft 10 carries the roller knurled periphery 21and of such size that it 1'7 to idle position. may be readily; graspedby the operators hand When left. in idle position, the latch bears idlyand given a partial rotation. This knob is so by friction caused by thespring 35 against the 55 secured to the shaft 10 that it may have aroarcuaterubbing plate 40 on the side ofthe frames plate 12'. Thisfriction is comparatively light, but is suflicient to preventinadvertent displacement of the lmob and shaft.

The plate 40 is settable to various positions to adjust the platenpressure, the position of the platen being normally fixed by screws 42carried by the frame and arranged to have their heads bear against theouter face of the disc.

When it is desired to return the roller 17 to active position, theoperator simply grasps the knob 20 and turns it in the counter-clockwisedirection. This movement causes a pin la, carried by the knob 20, toengage the latch arm 33 and brings back the shaft 10 and latch 31 toactive position and the latch, being unrestrained by the cam pin 41 ofthe knob 20, springs back into its keeper 18 at the end of the returnmovement of the knob. A suitable abutment 45 carried by its keeper plate40 may limit the movement of the parts in this direction, so that thereturn of the knob the maximum amount causes the latch to engage itskeeper automatically. A similar abutment 46 carried by the plate 40serves to limit the movement of the knob 20 in the clockwise 1 directionand prevents the turning of the shaft 10 to an extent which would causethe eccentric portion of the shaft to bring the platen roll 17 towardsthe transfer roll 13.

It is also desirable to be able to shift the form roll to an idleposition manually and lock it in its active position without disturbingthe relationship between the various ink distributing rolls and thepattern roll. To the above end I provide a second eccentric shaft onwhich the pattern roll is mounted and provide this shaft with a latchsimilar to the one heretofore described. However, in this instance, thearrangement of the eccentric portion of the shaft is such that both thepattern roll and a supplemental frame in which the pattern roll,

the ink fountain and its ink rolls are mounted,

moves as a unit away from the transfer roll 13.

As shown in the drawings, and especially Figs.

1 and 3, 50 and 51 indicate a pair of supplemental frame platespivotally mounted on the frame members 11 and 12, respectively, bysuitable studs 52. Rotatably journalled in suitable bearings in thesupplemental frame plates is a shaft 53. The ends 54, of the shaft 53,project beyond the frame plates 50 and 51 and are eccentric to the mainportion or" the shaft which is journalled in the frame plates, andsupports the form roll 55.

Journalled on the eccentric portions of the shaft are links 60, theother ends of which are pivotally mounted as at 61 to the frame plates11 and 12, respectively, of the printing machine. To the rear of theform roll is a suitable ink fountain 65, which, through the medium ofdistributing rolls 66, serves to supply ink to the form roll.

Mounted on the right hand end of the shaft 50 is a knob '70, similar inall respects to the knob clamping screws '77.

20, heretofore described. Mounted on the eccentric portions of the shaftbetween the knob and its adjacent link 60 is a collar 71 having an ear72, to which is secured a latch '73, similar to the latch 31, heretoforedescribed. The latch is arranged to engage a keeper or groove '75 in adisc '76, which is loosely mounted on the eccentric portion of theshaft, and which is retained in a fixed position relative to the link60, by suitable The latch mechanism is similar in all respects to thatillustrated in connection with the platen roll 17, heretofore described.However, the arrangement is such that when the knob is rotated in aclockwise direction to throw the eccentric portion of the shaft so as tocarry the form roll out of engagement with its cooperating roll 13, itwill likewise rock the frame plates 50 and 51 about their pivots 52,thereby retaining the relationship between the pattern roll and the inkfountain and its distributing rolls.

When it is desired to shift the form roll away from its cooperatingimpression roll 13, the operator grasps the knob and turns it in aclockwise direction, whereupon the pin 41 of that knob cooperates withits latch '73, withdrawing it from the slot '75 in the plate 75,thereafter carrying the shaft in a position to throw the eccentric in adirection to separate the rolls 55 and 13.

When it is desired to return the roller to active position, the operatorsimply grasps the knob '76 and turns it in a counter-clockwisedirection, which brings the shaft 53 back to active position and thelatch '75, being unrestrained by the cam action of its respective pin41, springs into its keeper at the end of the return movement. Suitableabutments i land 45, similar to those heretofore described in connectionwith the knob 26, serve to limit the extreme movement of the eccentricthrow.

It will be seen that my mechanism is very simple in construction, easilyoperated, and at the same time effective in positively locking aprinting member in its active position while allowing its release by thesingle movement of the operators hand.

I claim:

1. In a printing machine, means for adjusting one of two cooperatingmembers with reference to the other, comprising an eccentric associatedwith one of the members and controlling the approach of the members,manually actuatable means for turning the eccentric, and a positive lockfor the eccentric reieased by a preliminary movement of the manuallyengageable portion of said turning means.

2. The combination, with two cooperating members in a printing machine,of means for adjusting one of them with reference to the other,comprising an eccentric, a iock for the eccentric, and a rotative handleprovided with means to release the lock in the first part of the handlerotation and to shift the eccentric in a subsequent part of saidrotation in the same direction.

3. The combination with two cooperating members of a printing machine,of an eccentric shaft, the rotative position of which controls theapproach of said members, a handle on the shaft, a positive lock for theshaft, the handle having a certain amount of loose play on the shaft,and means whereby the movement of the handle in the direction to turnthe shaft will first withdraw the lock.

its

4. The means for shifting and locking one printing member with referenceto another, comprising an eccentrically mounted shaft associated withone of the members to be shifted, a knob loose on said shaft sopositioned that it may be grasped by the operator, a positive lock forthe shaft released by a movement of the knob with reference to theshaft, and means whereby the knob mayturn the shaft after the release ofthe lock.

5. The means for adjusting a printing roller, comprising aneccentrically mounted shaft carrying the roller, a handle on the shaft,and a positive lock for the roller released by a preliminary movement ofthe handle.

6. The combination of a roller, an eccentric shaft on which the same ismounted, a handle on the shaft, a positive lock for the roller, thehandle having a certain amount of loose play on the shaft, and meanswhereby the movement of the handle in the direction to turn the shaft toidle position will first withdraw the lock.

7. The combination of a roller, an eccentrically mounted shaft carryingthe same, a knob carried by the shaft and having a loose play connectiontherewith, a latch carried by the shaft and coacting with a cam surfaceon the knob, whereby the idle movement of the knob may release thelatch.

8. The combination with a frame, a shaft eccentrically journalledtherein, a keeper on the frame, a latch mounted on the shaft andspringpressed to give it a tendency to engage said keeper, and a handleon the shaft having some free movement which acts to cam the latch toidle position before the handle turns the shaft.

9. The combination with a frame, a shaft eccentrically journalledtherein, a member carried by the shaft, a latch in the form of a bellcrank carried by said member, said bell crank being spring pressed sothat its inner end is adapted to engage a keeper in the frame, a knobmounted on the shaft and having loose play connection therewith in anarcuate direction, the projecting arm of the bell crank latch having acam surface, and means on the knob to engage such surface and move thelatch to an idle position.

10. The combination, with a frame, of a rotary printing member mountedtherein, a coacting roller axially parallel with the printing member, ashaft for said roller eccentrically journalled in the frame, a knob onthe end of the shaft having a limited loose play connection therewith,whereby the knob may be grasped by the operators hand and turned a shortdistance, independently of the shaft, an arm rigid with the shaft, alatch lever pivoted on the arm and adapted to engage a keeper in theframe, a spring tending to move the latch lever into engaging position,said latch lever extending toward the knob and having a cam surfacethereon, said cam surface being adapted to coact with the knob torelease the latch during the free movement of the knob, before the knoboperates to turn the shaft.

11. In a printing machine, the combination with the frame, of a rotaryprinting member mounted therein, a rotary platen on an axis parallelwith the printing member, a shaft eccentrically journalled in the frameand carrying the platen, a knob on the projecting end of the platenshaft, said knob having a limited loose play connection with the shaftin an arcuate direction, and a latch adapted to lock the shaft in itsactive position, said knob being adapted by its loose play movement torelease the latch.

12. The means for adjusting a printing roller and supplemental frametherefor relative to a second roller mounted in a main frame, comprisinga pivotal connection between the main frame and the supplemental frame,a shaft journalled in said supplemental frame and rotatably supportingthe first named roller and provided with an eccentric portion, a linkpivoted at one end to the main frame and having its other end journalledon the eccentric portion of said shaft, a handle on said ecentricportion of the shaft, a positive lock for the roller and frame releasedby a preliminary movement of the handle, and wherein the rotation ofsaid shaft causes the first named roller and the supplemental frame tomove as a unit away from the second named roller.

13. The combination with two cooperating members in a printing machine,of means for adjusting one of them with reference to the other,comprising mechanism for moving one of said members, a lock for suchmechanism, and a rotative handle provided with means to release the lockon the first part of the rotation of the handle and to operate saidmechanism in a subsequent part of said rotation in the same direction.

14. The combination with two cooperating members of a printing machine,of a shaft, and means whereby the partial rotation of the shaft maychange the approach of said members, a handle on the shaft, a positivelock for the shaft, the handle having a certain amount of loose play onthe shaft, and means whereby the movement of the handle to turn theshaft will first withdraw the lock.

15. The combination with two cooperating members of a printing machine,of a shaft and means operable thereby to change the approach of saidmembers, a knob carried by the shaft and having a loose play connectiontherewith, and a 110 latch carried by the shaft and coacting with a camsurface on the knob whereby an idle movement of the knob may release thelatch.

16. The combination in a printing machine, of a main frame, asupplemental frame pivoted 115 thereto, means for adjusting the relationof the frames, comprising a shaft mounted in one of the frames and aconnection between the shaft and the other frame, a handle on said shaftadapted to turn it, and a lock for the shaft, releasable by apreliminary movement of the handle.

17. In a printing machine, the combination of a main frame, a rollercarried thereby, a supplemental frame pivoted to the main frame, aroller carried by the suplemental frame adapted to coact with the rollerin the main frame, means for adjusting the relation of said rollers,comprising a shaft journalled in one of the frames, mechanism connectingit with the other frame, a knob on the shaft whereby it may be given arotative movement, a latch normally locking the shaft, said knob havingloose play on the shaft and having a cam adapted to act on the latch,whereby the first part of a rotative movement of the knob may releasethe latch and a subsequent part of said 5 rotative movement turn theshaft.

HENRY CHISHOLM OSBORN.

